Kevin Croucher had a simple goal Tuesday after leading the first day of qualifying in the 2007 USBC Senior Masters: stay over 200 in each of his five games.

Though he slipped up in his final game of the day, Croucher did more than enough in the first four to maintain his lead heading into the final day of qualifying in the USBC Senior Masters at the National Bowling Stadium, the second of two majors on the PBA Senior Tour.

Croucher had games of 233, 242, 201 and 224 before finishing with a 178. He had more than enough pins, however, to overcome his one game under par. He’ll bowl his final round tomorrow on the first squad, which has proven to be the toughest each day.

“There’s going to be more oil tomorrow and it’s going to be a tough squad, the scores reflect that,” Croucher (Grants Pass, Ore.) said. “I just need to pay attention and be careful. The first game is pivotal. You just want to squeak out a 200 game.”

Croucher is well on his way to improving on his finish last season, when he struggled just to cash.

“Last year, the lanes were a little tighter and my ball roll had a little more tilt. The conditions didn’t like my tilt,” Croucher, last year’s PBA Senior Rookie of the Year runner-up, said. “I’m a better spare shooter than I was last year and that makes a big difference with the number of games here.”

Jumping up to second in the standings Tuesday was USBC Hall of Famer Bob Chamberlain, who owns four PBA Senior Tour titles but has yet to win a Major. Chamberlain finished with 2,196, and had a solid day Tuesday despite bowling on the morning squad.

“I just wanted to stay even today, but I got out of the gate rally well and from that point on it was all a plus,” Chamberlain (The Villages, Fla.) said. “To get another title would be great, but to get a major title would be fantastic, a bonus in itself.”

Rounding out the top five were two-time PBA Senior Tour titlist Henry Gonzalez (Colorado Springs, Colo) in third with 2,171, Dennis Psaropoulos (Lake Worth, Fla.) in fourth with 2,147 and Norm Palomares (San Francisco) in fifth with 2,140.

The championship match will take place Friday, July 13 at Noon PST. The winner will take home $16,000 and a berth in the 2008 PBA Tournament of Champions. Non-PBA members, however, are not eligible for the Tournament of Champions.

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